(Cataloguing the disused stations of the Oslo Metro)
Elisenberg, Valkyrie Plass and Volvat are all abandoned ghost stations on the underground stretches of the Oslo Metro. But as we’ll reveal here, there are many more disused subway stations on the Norwegian capital’s rapid transit network. Those documented prior may be the most intriguing due to their subterranean locations, but the T-bane’s forgotten surface level platforms also offer an interesting glimpse into the city’s transportation history. Often victims of modernisation, a good number are former light rail stations, served by trams, that never reopened when the lines they served were upgraded to full metro status. Others simply saw little traffic or were too close to their neighbours to remain competitive. With that in mind, let’s explore 15 disused stations of the Oslo Metro (also known variously as the T-bane, Oslo T-bane, Oslo Tunnelbane or T-banen).
Bjørnsletta
(Image: Thoresen, Rolf)
Opened on June 15, 1942, Bjørnsletta was one of the few Oslo Metro stations that didn’t offer step-free platform access. When much of the Kolsås Line was closed for renovation in 2006, its reopening brought with it a new Bjørnsletta station, which was built half way between the original platforms and neighbouring Lysakerelven.
Lysakerelven
(Image: Kjetil Bjørnsrud)
Like the adjacent Bjørnsletta T-bane station, Lysakerelven was also opened in June 1942 and would remain in service for more than 60 years. As upgrades to the Kolsås Line were discussed, one plan called for services to terminate at Lysakerelven, where passengers would then transfer to trams. Instead, it was decided to merge Lysakerelven and Bjørnsletta stations, which lay in a largely residential area. As a result the original Lysakerelven platforms were abandoned.
Egne hjem
(Image: Espen Franck-Nielsen)
Also located on the Kolsås Line between Bekkestua and Ringstabekk, Egne hjem opened in November 1924 and 82 years later had become the quietest station on the route. This was in large part due to its location a mere 300 metres down the line from its closest neighbour, and the disused station never reopened after the 2006 renovation. Oslo Metro trains still rattle through Egne hjem, but its platforms stand largely silent and neglected.
Engerjordet
(Image: via Wikipedia)
Unlike those documented above, Engerjordet dates back to the earliest days of the Oslo T-bane. It opened some time around 1898 (the precise date is uncertain) as a light rail station serviced by trams. What’s more, it hasn’t operated since its closure in 1935. Possibly built as a halt for tram company bosses living nearby, the long disused station on the Oslo Metro’s Holmenkollen Line had a simple wooden platform and took its name from a local farm. With few passengers and a location close to neighbouring stations, there was little to prevent Engerjordet from being abandoned.
Grini
(Image: via Google Earth)
A disused station on the Oslo Metro’s Røa Line, Grini opened around Christmas time of 1948. Despite being the first station to open on the Røa Line, Grini, which lies between Ekraveien and Eiksmarka, was destined never to reopen after the route was upgraded from light rail to full metro standard in 1995.
Heggeli
(Image: Google Street View)
This abandoned T-bane station in Oslo opened in November 1912 and fell silent in 1995, another victim of the Røa Line upgrade. Known as Heggeli, the disused Oslo Metro station lay between Borgen and Smestad, but as Google Earth and Street View reveals, little remains of the platforms today.
Huseby skole
(Image: Google Earth)
As we’ve seen, the Røa Line overhaul was responsible for a number of Oslo T-bane stations shutting down, and among them was Huseby skole. Nestled between Hovseter and Røa, Huseby skole opened back in January 1935 (around the time that Engerjordet (above) was shutting shop) when the Røa Line was first built. Like others in this article, the ghost station was abandoned in 1935.
Husebybakken
Located on the Oslo Metro’s Kolsås Line, Husebybakken station opened in 1942 to serve the neighbourhood of Montebello. It first closed in 1961, only to be reopen for a short period between 2006 and 2008, when the route (Line 6) was being renovated. It was demolished in 2008.
Merradalen
This Kolsås Line ghost station began life in 1942 on the Sørbyhaugen to Jar branch line. Merradalen lay near a bridge bearing the same name but its platforms closed for business in July 1957 in favour of the nearby Ullernåsen station.
Nordberg
(Image: Eisfbnore)
Nordberg station opened in October 1934 on the Oslo Metro’s Sognsvann Line. Part of the route was single track until being upgraded to double in 1939, and the rails still pass through the disused station, which lies between Østhorn and Holstein. The scene of several accidents, Nordberg ceased operating on May 5, 1992 when the Sognsvann Line closed for upgrade from light rail to modern rapid transit. The Oslo ghost station never reopened.
Ringstabekk
(Image: Google Street View)
Opened on July 1, 1924, as a suburban tramway station on the light rail Bærum Line, Ringstabekk station later became part of the Kolsås Line and was located between Bekkestua and Tjernsrud. Ringstabekk was among several stations that temporarily closed in 2006 when the Kolsås Line underwent upgrades. But it never reopened and was demolished in 2009. It’s since been replaced by a new station of the same name.
Sørbyhaugen
(Images: Robert Charles Wilse, Raymond DeGroote)
The disused Oslo Metro station Sørbyhaugen was both a result and a victim of the Røa Line. Opened in January 24, 1935, after the Røa Line’s development, it was closed as part of modernisation work on the route in 1995. The abandoned T-bane station, which stood at the junction of the Røa and Kolsås lines, would not reopen.
Tjernsrud
(Image: Espen Franck-Nielsen)
Another defunct T-bane station closed during Kolsås Line renovations in 2006, Tjernsrud stood overgrown for a number of years before its abandoned platforms were demolished in 2009. Despite officially closing in 2006, a tram service continued to shuttle passengers too and from the ailing station into the following year. After that, its plaforms, which had served the neighbourhoods of Stabekk and Jar, would remain silent until their destruction.
(Image: Punkmorten)
Tryvandshøiden
(Image: Wilhelm Joys Andersen)
Tryvandshøiden is distinct from the other disused Oslo Metro stations featured in this article in that it never actually opened to begin with. The planned station was partially constructed by 1916 and sat at the end of a single-track branch line from Frognerseteren. A signalman’s house, known as “Norden”, formed the unused station’s one and only facility, and remained standing after the tracks were pulled up in 1939. Tryvandshøiden had never served a paying passenger. In recent decades proposals have been put forward to (re)open the disused Oslo Metro station as a convenient jumping off point for the Tryvann Ski Resort. But high costs have thus far prevented this from happening.
Vestgrensa
(Image: Anders Beer Wilse)
Originally a tram station that opened on October 10, 1934, Vestgrensa was located on the Oslo Metro’s Sognsvann Line between Blindern and Ullevål stadion. Originally called Ullevål Haveby, Vestgrensa survived the upgrading of the Sognsvann Line from light rail to modern metro during the early 1990s. But despite being extensively rebuilt during that time, its operational life was to be short-lived. It was ultimately replaced by the new Forskningsparken station and was abandoned in August 1999.
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The post Lost T-bane: 15 Disused Stations of the Oslo Metro appeared first on Urban Ghosts Media.